The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. renewed the public health emergency declaration addressing the nation’s opioid crisis. The renewal extends the emergency declaration for 90 days and will allow sustained federal coordination efforts and preserve key flexibilities that enable HHS to leverage expanded authorities in response to the opioid overdose crisis.
Emergency Declaration and Progress
The public health emergency was first declared under President Trump’s leadership in 2017 and was set to expire on March 21, 2025. According to Secretary Kennedy: “Although overdose deaths are starting to decline, opioid-involved overdoses remain the leading cause of drug-related fatalities. This Administration is going to treat this urgent crisis in American health as the national security emergency that it is.”
Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates a 25.5% decrease in overdose deaths in the 12 months ending October 2024 compared with the same period in 2023. However, approximately 150 Americans die every day from overdose involving illegal, synthetic opioids such as illegally made fentanyl. Overdose remains the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18-44.
Federal Authorities and Coordination
The declaration of a public health emergency provides the Secretary with certain authorities necessary to respond to the crisis. The Department has relied on this declaration to facilitate voluntary information collections, expedite demonstration projects related to substance use disorder treatment, and expedite support for research on opioid use disorder treatments. These activities facilitate multi-level coordination across the public and private sector alike, which ultimately continues to save lives.
The Administration and HHS remain committed to preventing substance use initiation, reducing the number of lives lost to overdose, and helping Americans achieve recovery and live healthy lives.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/secretary-kennedy-opiod-crisis-emergency-declaration.html